Plural lamp-socket.



PATENTED MAY 7, 1907,

E. B. BENJAMIN.

. PLURAL LAMP SOCKET.

- APPLICATION ILBD o oT.'1, 1904.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO ILLINOIS, A/ISSI'HBKER TO BENJAMIN ELEC'IQRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, COR

PORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PLUHAL LAFJIP-SOCKYET.

Speeieaton of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1907.

aplicara ned october 1,1904. sean No. 226,800.

T all wlw/77, if, mfr/y concer/'72,."

Beit known that I, REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, a citizen ol the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State oi Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Plural Lamp-Sockets, of which the following i's a full, clear, concise, and eX- aet description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication.

Myinvention relates to plural lamp sockets.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a simple and highly eHieient socket adapted to mechanically support and electrically connect a pair of electric lamps in an end to end position, and to provide suitable terminals upon ,the socket adapted to conneet the terminals oi: said lamps in circuit, through ,the medium of lthe terminals of an ordinary electric lamp socket.

The other novel features of my invention will more Jully appear from the accompanying description of the drawings, in which I have illustrated one method of embodyingmy invention in a practical structure.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved socket showing the interlocking inclosing casing; Fig. 2 is an end view of my invention 3 Fig. 3 is aview taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line 4 4 ot Fie. 1,' Fig. 5 is a detail vieiv t0 be more ullyIiereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings by 'reference characters, in which like `numerals are used to designate like parts in the several figures, I provide a base 1, preferably in one piece and made of porcelain or other suitable insulating material, which carries a screw threaded shell 2, or a similar device for making connection with the outer contact of an electric lamp socket, and a center contact 3, which in this instance is shown as astrip or plate, although any equivalent construction may be adopted. The ends of the plate or strip 3 extend through. an aperture 5 in the base and areturned up and centrally disposed within the lamp' receiving shell 6, to form the center contacts for the lamps, the shells-6 forming the ring contacts therefor.'

Any equivalent devices may be provide/d for mechanically supporting and electrically connecting the lamps in circuit in lieu of the shells 6, 6. The shells are preferably mounted directly upon the base 1, by bolts or screws 7, 7, passing through the base and engaging said shells, an aperture being cut in the bottomof each of said shells to permit the eenter contacts 4, 4, to engage the center contacts of the lamps, as shown in Fig. The shell 2 is preferably mounted in position upon the base 1, by a U-shaped plate or band 8, the ends of which extend through apertures in the shell 2, and are bent back upon themselves, as shown in Fig. 4. The band is engaged by the screws or bolts 7, whereby the lamp receiving shells are electrically connected with one terminal of the plug.

Any suitable insulating material, as the fiber lining 9, is provided for insulating the lamp receiving shells 6, 6, from the metal in closing casing. This lining consists ol two rings pf insulating material, preferably having 4L'Yutwardly extending flange 1 1, formed thereon adapted to retain said lining in posie tion between the shells 6, 6, and the casing 10. The casing 10 is preferably made oiE thin metal, and in the present instance consists of two members 12 and 13, adapted to telescope each other and provided preferably upon either side of the casi-ng 10, with suitable bayonet joints or equivalent devices 14,y

In the present embodiment of my invention, an I shaped depression 15 isformed in one of the members of said casing, adapted to accommodate a small projection 16 formed in the other member of the casing 10, as shown in Fig. 4, the depression 16 being carried into the L-shaped extension of the depression 15 When the members of the casing are slightly rotated, and thus lock the members 12 and 13 of the casing firmly together. n The means shown and described for lecking the members of the casing together is a simple construction, and it Will he understood that the same may be varied without affecting the present invention.

It will be seen that the portion of the base carrying the contacts 2 and 3, constitutes a plug attachment adapted to engage the ter minals of an ordinary lamp socket, the Vterminals on the plug being connected with the terminals of the lamp holding devices. In order to connect the lamps in circuit, it is necessary to screw the lug portion of the device into the lamp so ket, until the center lamp contact 3 comes in contact with the central terminal of the socket1 and as it is often desirable to have the two lamps of the cluster stan'd at a certain angle when the device is connected in circuit, this cannot he accomplished without partially unscrewing the plug portion of the device from the socket. This partial withdrawing of thc plug portion of the device from the socket is apt to with* draw the central contact carried by the plug from engagement with the-.central contact'of the socket. In order to overcome this ohjection, and in order to allow the plug portion tobe inserted in the socket so as to permit the lamps to stand at any desired angle, l prefer t6 mount the strip 3 loosely on the hase f1, to permit it to move .longitudinally through said hase 1, when the end of said strip constituting the center contact 3, comes in contact with the center contact of the lamp socket, a small coiled spring 17, being adapted to hold the center contact 3 in itsl extende'd position, as shown in Fig. 3, and to hold the contact 3 in engagement with the central terminal of the l'amp socket, when the plug portion of the device is partially Withdrawn therefrom, in order that the lamps may occupy the desired position as above descri hed.

4Any suitable spring may hc su hstituted for the coiled spring 17,'a`nd am aware that the detailed arrangement of the parts of my invention fmay be varied without departing `from the spirit thereof, and I do not wish to limit myself to said details of construction further than is defined in thex appended It will be noted that the center contact 3 i of the plug extends longitudinally through .the upper end of the insulating asel to accommodate these center contacts. The center contact is yieldingly mounted so that it may-be slightly depressed as the plug is yscrewed into the socket, with which it is employed. The yielding mounting of the center contact performs van important function,

since if the center contact were rigid, it would be necessary to swivel the plugr to the insulating base vor make other `provision for the rotation of the plu independently of the twin socket. y Unless ie plug were so swiveled to the insulating base or a yielding mounting of the center contact be provided when the plug is screwed home and the center contact thereof is in4 contact with the contact of the socket, it would be im ossible to slightlyrotate the twin socket ue to the fact .that such a rotation would break the vcontact betweeen the` center contact of the plug and the center contact ofthe lamp. By

the provision of the yielding mounting of the center contact, I am enabled to accom lish the same result. In twin plug sockets of) this class, thelanips are frequently arranged in the angleof a show-case or show-window or in other similar position where the position of thelanips is fixed and determined. center contact were rigid, it would frequently happen that when the plug was screwed home, the twin socket would occupy a position at an angle to that which it should-properly occupy. in order to obviate this objection, it has heretofore been proposed to swivel the plug to the twin socket, so that the plug may be screwed home and the twin socket then moved independently to the proper position. By the ein loyinent of the yielding center contact, the pliig and the twin socket may be slightlyrotated to bring the lamps into the proper position without affecting the firm contact betaween the plug ternrinals and the contacts of the socket in` which it is inserted. It will thus be seen that the yielding centercontact performs an iin ortant function in a twin plug socket.

ani aware that yielding contacts have been employed in individual lamp sockets, but the function there performed and the result aeconiplishe-Il is entirely different from that of the present twin socket. It will be noted that the yieldingly mounted center contact passe: through the center of the plug and insulating base, that the prongs upon the inner end thereof lie in a transverse `slot in the insulating hase, while the ring contact If the of the plug is connected with the ring cotitacts of the twin socket by vmeans of a yoke,

which passes around the periphery of the insulating base.

llaving thus described my invention what IOO I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a two-light electric lamp plug socket, the combination with an insulating lease, of a I pair of lamp receiving shells mounted thereon end to end and in substantial alinenient, said insulating base having a transversely extend* ing inte ral hw ortion, suitable terminals carried thereon, and a cylindrical casing inclosing said lamp receiving shells and a? f ranged longitudinally of the axis thereof an being formed upon one side to accommodate the passage of said transversely extending plug portion.

2. In a two-light electric lamp socket, thel combination with an insulating base, of lamp receivers arranged end to end upon said base, and adapted to support the lamps substantially in axial alineinent,flainp contacts associated with said receivers, an inclosing cover or casing arranged longitudinally of the axis of the receivers, a ,suitable transversely extending plug formed integrally with said base and carrying terminals in electrical connection with. the lam, contacts, and an insulating lining for sai( cover or casing arranged upon one side to accommodate the transverse passage of said plug.

tially in axial alincinent, lainp contacts assoreceivers arranged end to end upon said base 3. ln a two-light elect-ric lamp socket,the combination with an insulating hase, of lamp adapted to support the lamps substantially in' axial alineinent, lamp contacts associated with said receivers, a'separable two-part in- I closing cover or casing arranged longitudinally of the axis of the receivers and having l an opening on one side7 and a suitahlc transversely extending plug formed integrally with said base extending through said opening and carrying terminals in electrical con'- nection with the lamp contacts.

p 4. In a two-light'elcctric lainp socket, the combination with an insulating ibase, of lainp receivers arranged end to end upon said base and adapted to support the lainps substanciated with said rcccivers,,an inclosing cover or casing arranged longitudinally of the axis` of the said receivers, a suitable plug formed integrally with said Base carrying a ring terminal and a center terminal, said ceni er terminal extending through said plug and having a bifurcated inner end forming the center lamp contacts, and means forconnecting the ring terminal with the ring contacts of the lamps.

5. l. a two-light electric socket, the coinhination with an insulating base, of lamp receivers arranged end to end upon said base and adapted tosiipport the lamps substantially in axial alinenient, lanipicontacts associated ivith said receivers, an inclosing cover or casing arranged longitudinally of the axis ot' the receivers aA suitable transversely extending plug 'fornied integrally with said hase and carrying a ring terminal and a yicldingly mounted center terminal to accommodate the partial rotation of said plugin a socket, and

means for electrically connecting the said ring and center terminals with the lamp contac-ts.

l6. The combination with a twin or twolight socket, having a pair of lamp receiving shells mounted end to end, of a plug extendi ing transverse thereto and having a ring contact and a center contact, thc latter being yieldingly mounted to accommodate the partial rotation of the plug in a socket.

7. In a twin plug socket, the combination with an insulating base, of a pair ot' lamp receiving shells mounted upon opposite sides thereof, an integrally formed transversely extending plug portion of said base, a ring terminal and a center terminal on said plug portion, center contacts for the lamp receivers connected with the center contact on said plug7 said center contacts resting in a transverse recess or slot in said lvinsulating base, anda yoke passing around the periphery of said insulating base for connecting the ring terminal on the plug with said lamp receiving shells.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto sub' scribed my name in the presence of two Witnesses.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN.

Witnesses:

C. B. CAMP, WALTER E. MCCORMACK 

